Who is the man in blue buying WA sheep and lambs?

A cold breeze gently blew through the Katanning Regional Saleyards last Wednesday morning as farmers, agents and buyers gathered at the Great Southern’s premier livestock selling centre. Despite the 18C chill on what should have been a bright summer morning, only one conversation dominated the pre-sale yarns. Slowly but surely, whispers ran from cocky to cocky in anticipation of what loomed as another bumper sheep and lamb sale: “He’s here again, that bloke there, the one in the blue jacket”. Decked out in a blue windcheater and a Thomas Foods International cap, Paul Leonard had returned to Katanning on behalf of the South Australian-founded meat processing juggernaut. It was the TFI national livestock manager’s second visit to WA in as many weeks in pursuit of heavy lambs and heavy mutton at both the Muchea Livestock Centre and Katanning sheep and lamb auctions. Mr Leonard was on a mission to buy sheep and lambs to meet TFI’s processing needs as the east coast’s sheep supply dwindles in the wake of testing producing conditions. And, on a positive note for WA sheep producers, he intends to keep travelling across the border from South Australia for as long as required. “We haven’t put an end date on it at this stage,” Mr Leonard told Countryman. “As long as we keep getting the support from livestock in the paddock, we will keep supporting the markets. “There is no doubt that there is a limited number of stock available in the Eastern States and there will continue to be for the next few years until the numbers recover. “But coming to WA will be subject to what numbers are available here, too.” There were 20,929 sheep and lambs penned at Katanning last Wednesday to mark an increase of 4759 head. Elders accounted for 9537 head, Landmark penned 6831, Primaries auctioned 2976 and Westcoast Wool and Livestock put 1585 into the yards. Prices fluctuated across the auction on the back of quality and demand, with Mr Leonard and a representative from Geelong-based Cedar Meats Australia fuelling competition. Prime lambs and heavy ewes recorded the best gains at the sale alongside fierce bidding from regular buyers, including Beaufort River Meats and Fletcher International Exports. It came as a pen of extra heavyweight lambs secured $199 and a pen of extra heavy mutton made $225 per head to top the auction. For father-and-son team Des and Wayne Shackley, the buoyant sheep market is an exciting prospect. The Woodanilling-based sheep producers and grain growers, who farm across 4000ha, attended Katanning last Wednesday to watch their pen of about 100 11-month-old crossbred lambs sell. Sold through the Landmark banner, the pen returned $165 a head amid the competitive bidding. Wayne said murmurs of the returning interstate buying presence ahead of the auction prompted the Shackley family to send the lambs to the saleyards. “With the Eastern States buyers here, we wanted to see what the prices would reach,” he said. “It seemed like plenty of people were excited that the east coast buyers were here last week, so we wanted to come this week. “The market is more consistent with the Eastern States buyers here. “We hadn’t planned to sell prior to last week, but they were the reason that we wanted to bring some stock in and sell when the market was more buoyant. “We are pretty confident in the market at the moment, especially with these Eastern States buyers.” At Muchea last Tuesday, the numbers increased by 4508 head week-on-week with 13,065 sheep and lambs penned. The interstate competition was focused on heavy trade lamb, with those weighing more than 25kg selling from $192 per head to $203 per head at almost 685¢/kg carcase weight. East coast buyers’ interest at the WA saleyards comes as the Eastern States’ lamb slaughter totalled 324,106 head — 16 per cent fall year-on-year, on February 21. Victorian lamb numbers eased 19 per cent, while South Australia’s fell 15 per cent, according to Meat and Livestock Australia. MLA also noted Eastern States sheep slaughter had dropped 25 per cent year-on-year to 116,874 head as of February 21, spurred by declining sheep numbers in South Australia, NSW and Victoria. The figures were revealed last week as the Eastern States Heavy Lamb Indicator hit 933¢/kg carcase weight — a 43 per cent, or 283¢, surge year-on-year. The Eastern States Trade Lamb Indicator was trading at 917¢/kg cwt. Acknowledging the nation’s high sheep prices, LIVEstock Pricing managing director Rob Kelly said WA processors would find it difficult to keep operating at full capacity. “Processors are reducing shifts over east, and from that, that will lead to less demand,” he said. “If our processors see a reduction in stock, they can’t keep running for five days a week. “With the prices where they are, it will be hard for processors to run at full capacity.” After last Wednesday’s auction came to an end, the cold breeze had vanished as the noon sun shone over the Katanning facility. The farmers who sold sheep at the sale left with happy grins. Those who came for a stickybeak got in their cars and pondered when would be the best time to sell. As for the man in the blue jacket, he was preparing to do it all again in the coming weeks. “Muchea and Katanning are the two markets,” Mr Leonard said. “I’ve told the agents ‘if we are supported, we will continue to support the markets’.”